Ryan Mathews (knee), who suffered a sprained MCL on Sunday, is expected to be sidelined for four or five weeks following MRI results Monday, NFL.com reports.

Mathews (knee), who suffered a sprained MCL on Sunday, is expected to be sidelined for four or five weeks following MRI results Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.

Analysis:

Mathews went down while attempting to recover a fumble Sunday and was subsequently carted off the field. The Chargers' starting running back has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and will now miss around a month of action. Last season was Mathews' only complete campaign since joining the league in 2010, but the team prudently opted to sign Donald Brown this offseason to safeguard against another Mathews injury. With that situation unfolding Sunday, Brown's role within San Diego's offense should be expanded moving forward, with Danny Woodhead also receiving touches out of the backfield.